


Only Us

by Glitter_Bomb



Category: Total Drama (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, and I don’t even know if the ones I wrote 5 years ago count, but uh, please enjoy, this is my first fic I’ve written in over 5 years
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:14:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27887368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glitter_Bomb/pseuds/Glitter_Bomb
Summary: The campers had decided to have a game of truth or dare around the campfire, in true summer camp fashion. A dare from Scott forces Jo and Brick to go beyond their boundaries, but will it change their relationship?
Relationships: Jo/Brick McArthur
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	1. Truth or Dare

The campers had decided to have a game of truth or dare around the campfire, in true summer camp fashion. Scott was wreaking havoc, in true Scott fashion. 

“Jo, you’re up!” Scott barked, “Truth or dare?”

“Dare!” Jo declared confidently. She was ready to take whatever he threw at her! She shot a smirk in Brick’s direction, as if this would somehow prove to him once and for all she was superior. 

“Dare… Hmm, what to do, what to do…” Scott hemmed and hawed for a few seconds before his eyes lit up. “I know! I dare you… to kiss Brick!” 

What? _What?!_

“Brick? But he’s a dude!” Lightning gestured to the cadet, who was sitting next to him, beginning to blush. Everyone ignored Lightning’s cluelessness.

Jo shot up from her seat. “Kiss _Captain Dampy-pants?!_ Are you trying to make me vomit? I’d rather kiss one of the laser squirrels!” Her cheeks, flush with emotion, betrayed her speech. Jo had to work hard not to stumble over her words. 

“A dare’s a dare,” Scott tutted, smirking. 

“Excuse me, sir, but I’ve never even kissed someone before,” Brick tried to remain soldierly in the face of the situation. “Certainly you’d make an exception.”

“Hmm, let’s see...No.” Scott sneered. 

Realizing arguing wouldn’t get her anywhere, Jo tried a different approach. “No,” She turned her back to the campfire and the other contestants. “No, I am not kissing Sir Leaks-a-lot, and that is final!” She began walking back to the cabins, fully prepared to spend the rest of the evening sulking and doing push-ups. 

“Oh? So what you’re saying is… you’re too _chicken?_ ” Scott knew exactly what buttons to push. Jo stopped dead in her tracks. 

“Oh! You just gonna let him say that to you?!” Anne-Maria shouted after Jo. 

“I. Am not. _Chicken_.” Jo didn’t turn around when she spoke through her gritted teeth. 

“Prove it,” came Scott’s answer. 

Jo stomped her way back, glaring so hard at Scott it was surprising he didn’t burst into flames. High on adrenaline and eager to prove just how unafraid she was, she made her way straight to Brick and pulled him up by his shirt collar. Once they were face to face, though, she faltered; something about being so close to Brick made all the air leave her lungs. 

She released Brick’s shirt and stepped back a little, stunned. Brick gathered his balance and let out a nervous chuckle, reaching up to grab the back of his neck. Neither one would look the other in the eye. 

“It’s alright, ma’am, I—“ 

“Don’t-“ 

“Ma’am—Jo, really, it’s no big deal, it doesn’t count for anything. Right?” He was still concerned about how this would be his first kiss. Jo was hurt by the fact he was still hung up on this, but refused to let it show. The thought that this would be hers hadn’t even crossed her mind yet. 

“Oh, it counts,” Scott was all too much enjoying the disaster he had caused. 

Jo was too distracted to throw a quip back at Scott. She had moved past the whole ‘first kiss’ nonsense Brick was stuck on and realized that Brick had said her name, and it was music to her ears. She wished he would say it again. 

“Jo, you still with me?” Brick put his hand on her shoulder and Jo’s face caught fire. She wanted to reach up and put her hand on his, but she didn’t. “Hey,” Brick said gently as he caught her eye. 

“Hey,” Jo replied hesitantly. 

She couldn’t think straight. It felt like her mind had never been more empty, yet every thought she ever had was racing through it. It was like staring into the sun. 

She was looking into his eyes and then she started leaning in and _oh god_ and _oh god_ and she was kissing him and he was kissing her and suddenly, there was no campfire, no other campers, nothing else existed, just the two of them in blissful nothingness. Everything was perfect. 

It didn’t last. 

Brick pulled away and Jo was painfully aware of how fast he did so. Their eyes opened and Brick smiled softly. Jo’s insides were screaming, but all she could do was stand there. Brick pulled his hand back down to his side. She still felt its warmth where it had been. “Congratulations to the happy couple,” They were abruptly pulled back to reality by Scott’s trademarked smirk. On her way to sit back down Jo kicked him.

“Eat dirt, Farmboy.”


	2. Morning Run

It was the following morning and Jo was sitting on a fallen log in the forest along the route of her morning jog. Brick hadn’t joined her this morning. It was the only time she had run alone since the start of the season. She stopped halfway through to sit down, overwhelmed with thoughts, holding her head in her hands. 

_ She kissed Brick.  _

The phrase repeated itself a million times over in her mind. Jo was ready to scream in frustration. She had had her first kiss, and it was with the boy she liked, but she still had no idea if he liked  _ her _ . What if he didn’t? What if it was all just for the dare? No, it couldn’t have been—could it? The hand on her shoulder, the look in his eyes, the meek little smile afterwards—god, that  _ smile! _ That smile would be the death of her. It made her heart melt just to think of it, and that one was just for her, all for her, she wanted—

“Just shut up!” She yelled at herself aloud. 

“Uh, ma’am? I haven’t said anything yet?” 

Jo lifted her head from her hands to confirm what she was afraid of: Brick was standing a few feet away. She had been so deafened by her unrelenting that thoughts she didn’t hear him approach. 

“Yeah, well, I doubt you have anything useful to say,” she tried to make it seem like she had actually meant for Brick to hear her talking to herself. 

“Ma’am, I just wanted to apologize for last night. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable and I want you to know that it doesn’t have to change anything.”

God, he was so considerate it made Jo sick. That was what the fluttering feeling in her stomach was, right?

Jo imagined herself saying something incredibly suave with head held high and unwavering confidence. Instead, she said, “It’s alright, not your fault, just watch out for the puke by the confessional. I couldn’t keep it down long enough for it to be caught on camera.”

“Glad to see you’re still your old self, ma’am,” Brick grinned, “What d’you say we go for that morning run after all?”

“Only if you’re ready to lose—not that you’ve ever won, that is.”

And so they took off down the trail. 

***

The two of them skidded to a halt at the beach, their designated ‘finish line.’ Jo had gotten there first, as always, but it was particularly close this time. Both of them were nearly doubled over, panting, hearts pumping. Jo’s was beating out of her chest for a different reason, though. 

“Was…” Jo paused to take in air, gaining back more control over her breath. “Was it so bad?”

Sweat rolled down Brick’s face, which was pink with exertion. Jo had to remind herself to blink. 

“What?” He asked, finally beginning to recover. 

“Was it so bad? Uh, kissing me?”

Brick paused. Jo was terrified that this was a bad sign. She would have been terrified no matter what he did, frankly. 

“No, ma’am, it was…” Brick thought for a moment. “...nice.”

“Oh. Thanks—I mean, uh, of course it was! I  _ am _ the best at everything, after all, so it only follows that I’m the best at that, too.” Jo wanted to smack herself. Why couldn’t she just be honest for once? Why did she have to chicken out at every opportunity she was presented with? She wasn’t supposed to be a chicken! That’s mostly the reason she went through with kissing Brick in the first place! ...Mostly. 

“You aren’t too shabby, yourself,” she quickly added on before she had the chance to lose her sudden courage. 

“Thank you ma’am, I’ll take it as a compliment.” Brick saluted her. She wanted to kiss his dumb face all over again. 


	3. On the Dock

Two days passed and they hadn’t mentioned the kiss again. Jo was trying to pretend it never happened in the first place, convinced it was only causing her to get her hopes up and they would inevitably be dashed. 

The mine challenge had come and gone. Brick was a Toxic Rat now, and Jo had no idea what this meant for them. The switch had only happened last night. 

Jo sat on her bunk bed in the dark. It was early morning, much earlier than she usually woke up. She couldn’t sleep. All she could do was wonder what was going to happen with her and Brick, and if she would have to crush down her feelings for him now that he was on the side of the enemy. 

Hey, maybe Chris would switch her onto the Toxic Rats too? No, he loved the drama of their rivalry and definitely knew this would only exacerbate it. There’s no way he would give up the chance to watch them at each other’s throats. Not that they had really been doing that as much lately, although their competitive spirit was beginning to come back with full force. The kiss was just… a hiccup. Yeah, just a hiccup. Now everything was returning to normal, and they’d go back to being rivals. Just rivals. Only rivals. 

Suddenly Jo’s mind was flooded with the image of Brick’s face before she kissed him. He looked timid, yet reassuring. How did he not hear her heart thumping, how did he not feel the electrifying intensity that the kiss contained? He had to have felt it. He had to know how she felt. He just had to! But how did he feel? 

The image of Brick after their run, saying how their kiss was ‘nice’ flashed before her eyes. What did ‘nice’ even mean? Nice, nice, nice. Nice, pleasant, enjoyable. But did ‘nice’ mean the act of kissing someone or the act of kissing her specifically? Nice, something good, something you wanted to do again, maybe? What did it mean? What did it mean? Was it even a word? 

Jo needed some fresh air. She carefully went outside and sat on the steps to the cabin. She looked at the stars in an attempt to calm herself. She imagined stargazing with Brick, seeing who could name the most constellations, laying side by side, pointing at the sky and laughing. Then she’d turn her head and just watch him watching the stars, then he’d turn his head to look at her, the night air chilling their noses, but his breath was warm. He’d smile that breathtaking smile, and then—

Ok, so that didn’t work. Maybe if she tried listening to the silence of the night she could finally take her mind off things. Yeah, just listen to the gentle breeze rustling the leaves, the soft sounds of crickets in the distance, yeah, just sit and listen…

Jo’s eyes fluttered closed as she dozed off. She deserved a break. 

***

“Uh, Jo? You okay there?”

“Hmnhg?” Jo forced her tired eyes open and then let out a small yell after finding Brick leaning over her. She panicked. “What do you want?!”

“Um, to go on our morning run?” Brick stood back up, trying to figure out what was wrong. 

Jo was still sitting on the steps to her cabin, slumped against the railing for support. She was in her pajamas—a loose t-shirt and a slightly different pair of grey sweatpants. After being scared awake by Brick, she took a look around. The sun was on the horizon now, spreading a thin layer of light across the camp grounds. 

Oh crap, it was morning. 

“Hold that thought,” Jo said and went swiftly into the girls’ side of the Maggots’ cabin, quickly closing the door behind her. Luckily, Zoey and Anne-Maria were still sleeping soundly. 

Jo stood with her back against the door for a minute as she processed what had just happened. Brick wanted to go on their morning run, but Brick was on the other team now. Brick was the enemy now. But did he have to be? 

She took a deep breath. Giving up on making a decision, Jo decided she would figure out what to do once she went back outside. 

Once dressed, she opened the door again to be greeted by Brick. 

“Ma’am, I just want to say that I completely understand if you don’t want to run with me anymore now that I’m on the other team. But personally, I don’t want to let Chris and his game ruin a perfectly good friendship. I’ll respect your decision either way, ma’am.” He finished it off with a salute. 

Brick considered her a… friend? She was more than just a workout partner and general rival? The realization threw Jo off so badly that she stood for a moment, speechless. What was she supposed to do? She said the first thing that came to her mind,

“Uh, McClean can eat it. If he thinks he can mess up our… friendship, he’s got another thing coming.” Jo started to regain her smug confidence. Yeah, this was all just a part of Chris’s stupid game—it wasn’t real, it couldn’t affect her relationship with Brick. She decided she would allow herself to continue to like Brick, just out of spite for Chris. That was definitely why. No other reason. 

***

After their run, they went to get breakfast in the mess hall. Brick went to sit down next to Jo, as per usual, but stopped himself halfway. Jo was about to ask why he wouldn’t sit down, when she remembered. This wasn’t his team’s table. There was now a pit in Jo’s stomach, or more like a black hole, sucking in all the joy she had left. She watched as Brick went and sat with the Rats, plopping himself down on the end next to Lightning. He was still facing Jo, though, and gave her an apologetic look. Jo tried to ignore how much her heart ached. 

After breakfast, they regrouped and decided to go swimming. To race each other, of course. Definitely not so Jo could see Brick in a tank top, soaking wet, with his hair slicked back and a goofy grin on his stupid face. 

They went back to their respective cabins to change. Jo got done first, so she walked over to the Rats’ cabin to wait for Brick. She sat down on the steps.

The door to the boys’ side of the cabin was closed, but since Chris had paid for the building, the walls were paper thin and Jo could hear a conversation going on inside. She didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but she thought that maybe— _ maybe _ —it could be Brick talking about her. She was partially correct. 

“Where you going, new Rat?” Scott’s muffled voice came through the wall. 

“Swimming, sir!” Brick replied. 

“Oh, swimming, you say? You’re not going with any of your old teammates, by chance, are you?”

“Uh, no sir.” 

Wait a second, did Brick just  _ lie? _ Why would he lie about hanging out with her—didn’t he say no matter what, Chris’s games couldn’t ruin their friendship? Didn’t Scott count as part of Chris’s game? 

“Well then I might just come with you, y’know, for team bonding.”

“Oh, well, actually, I’m going with Jo.”

“Jo, you say? You seem to be hanging out with Jo a lot lately. What’s that all about? You’re not gonna turn on us for your little  _ girlfriend,  _ are you?”

_ What?! _ ‘Girlfriend’?! Scott thought that Brick liked her? No way, it had to just be one of Scott’s mind games—Chris might’ve put him up to it, or maybe it was just how Scott was. Geez, she felt like a stereotypical tween girl with all this worrying over if Brick liked her. Either way, there couldn’t have been any truth behind his words. 

Brick stumbled over what he was saying, avoiding the question and instead choosing to say goodbye. He ran out the door, finding Jo on the steps. 

“Ready to go?” She asked. 

***

Together, they swam back and forth in the tides, racing between the end of the dock and a buoy. Kicking and stroking, they were neck and neck, even as they reached the dock after the final lap. 

“Hah! Finally, something I’m better than you at!” Brick laughed while he clambered up onto the dock. 

“No way, I definitely got here first; you might want to get your eyesight checked, Brick for Brains!” Jo protested while climbing up herself. Together, they stood on the dock and proceeded to squabble over who won for a good five minutes. 

“You were eating my bubbles from the start!” Jo shot at him. 

“As if! You were behind me the whole way, soldier!” Brick shot back, edging closer. 

“I nearly lapped you at one point!” Jo also moved closer. 

“You wish!” Their faces were mere inches apart now. 

“Oh, you wanna know what  _ I  _ wish?!” Jo hit her tipping point. “ _ I _ wish you would just shut up and kiss me again!” 

There was a stunned silence from both of them; from Brick because he wasn’t expecting her to say that, and from Jo because  _ she  _ wasn’t expecting her to say that. 

Jo hesitantly backed a step away. Half heartedly she said, “Ahah, I knew you’d shut up if I said that… good thing—“ 

Brick’s hand was on her cheek and then all at once he kissed her and everything on her mind fell into inky blackness. It was a chaste kiss, but it was nothing like the first time at all; Brick kissed her so gently, as if he was afraid she’d crack and break under his touch. Despite the calluses on his hand, it felt soft on her cheek. The world began to melt away; the color of the sky started to run into the the trees, dripping like wet paint. There was a warm feeling in her chest, like her heart was sitting by a campfire. Her knees were weak. In that moment, they were the only two people in the whole universe. There was only them. 

They broke away simultaneously. 

“You kissed me,” Jo stated the obvious. 

“Yes, ma’am, I did.”

A breathless pause. 

“Do it again.” 

Brick wasn’t the kind to disobey a direct order. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this!! I wrote this on a whim after like 5 years without writing anything, but I think it was a great way to get back into the swing of things! Shout out to the TD Writer’s Discord for giving me the motivation to write again :) ok that’s all thank you thank you thank you!!!


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